


You Would Have Loved Her

by Sevi (KelSevi)



Category: Shin Megami Tensei II
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 22:52:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8178832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KelSevi/pseuds/Sevi
Summary: Aleph asks Hiroko a question she doesn’t have the answer to.





	

“Hiroko? Did you know Beth, from the Center?”

It was an innocent enough question, but only on the surface. Hiroko, who had been applying her make-up in front of a mirror, froze and peered at her partner’s reflection without turning around. Sitting on a bed cross-legged and hunched over himself was Aleph, bright nickel eyes gazing right at her. He hadn’t gotten properly dressed yet, so he was only wearing a mottled black undershirt and boxers.

The two of them had crashed at the Holytown hotel the night before, exhausted and in desperate need of a shower. It was the best night Hiroko had in a long time which, upon reflection, she supposed was sort of a pathetic thing to say, but… ever since finding out her memories were fake and tampered with, she had decided that her new life would only involve memories she knew she could trust. And those memories were with Aleph, for better or for worse.

That morning was one of those “for worse” moments.

“Beth, huh… hm. Well, we were both templar knights…”

She honestly wasn’t sure what to say. While she was cooped up in the tower all brainwashed, she had no way of learning about anything happening in Millennium, or about Aleph’s achievements. Even after he rescued her, she only scarcely remembered being told by her captors that he was paired with Beth, and neither of them had much time to talk about what happened during the Millennium crisis.

But she remembered the things whispered among the regulars in bars. She remembered being called a “replacement” behind their backs. She remembered Aleph’s gritted teeth, the clenching of his fists, the painful tension he radiated as he restrained himself over what seemed to her like casual drunkards bartering over who was “prettier…”

“… I knew her, but not really. It’s hard to remember… and even then, they might have been fake memories.” She took out her favorite stick of lipstick and began applying it, hoping to avoid further conversation.

Aleph sighed and sat up straighter. “Is that so… I guess I’m not surprised,” he muttered, and he began to tug on his feet and play with his toes.

Yet he still persisted. “But, still, did you really not know anything about her? Even the fake memories were pretty accurate…”

Hiroko pressed her lips together and popped them at the mirror, and then capped her lipstick. She was quiet for a moment, conflicted. She would have to tread carefully if she didn’t want to upset him. What little she did remember… it wouldn’t have been enough for him. Regardless, she turned around to face Aleph.

“Oh, Aleph,” she started, as she moved closer to him and sat at the edge of his bed, “I know you want to learn more about Beth. I’m sure she was very important to you.” She was using her “maternal” voice; she knew it soothed Aleph, even if she felt kind of weird about it. “But I really don’t know that much… So, tell me, what is it that’s bothering you?”

He fumbled with his hands for a moment, trying to hide his emotions. But he was always a bad liar, and it’s not like he could hide anything from Hiroko anyway. Aleph gave in and met her eyes while squeezing his hands together.

“It’s just… it’s just, she was such an intelligent person. She was so radiant, Hiroko…” His voice took on a more melancholic tone, and he smiled wryly. “I think you would have loved her, actually. The way she discerned the problems of our society so quickly and even while I was still so disoriented she would take care to explain everything to me…”

His eyes became unfocused, and while Hiroko knew he was looking at her, at the same time he wasn’t.

“She was so close… she was so close to accepting the truth, just like Zayin did. She was finally starting to see Tokyo Millennium for what it really was. And I was right there with her, just as lost and confused as she was.

“To think that maybe she would have broken out of the Center’s brainwashing… Maybe she would have valued herself more…? Then she wouldn’t have been so willing to throw her life away for me…”

Suddenly, Aleph returned to reality, and his eyebrows were raised. Hiroko had taken his hands into her own. The knuckles of his hands were shaking violently and turning white from how tightly he was squeezing them. Immediately, he loosened them and let out a shaky breath.

Hiroko remained silent, but she offered him a reassuring smile. He blinked, seemingly unaware that he was tearing up, but he smiled back warily. He let his head dangle for a moment, and he swallowed, before finally pulling himself back together.

“… Sorry, Hiroko. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

She patted his hands and let him draw them back to his chest, to smooth his fingers over his skin and erase the foreign feeling her hands left on him.

“Now, now, how could I not worry about you, Aleph?” Hiroko crossed her arms just then and tilted her head; it’s something she did whenever she wanted to change the subject. “Anyway, you need to get dressed. We can’t just lounge around in here forever, you know…”

Aleph huffed and stretched out, lying back down on the bed. “Geez, I’ve got macca to spare, it’s fine. I can just go out and ask some demons for more…”

“Aleph, that’s bribery. You’re supposed to be the Messiah, not a fundraiser.”

He giggled and rolled onto his side, ignoring Hiroko.


End file.
